If a picture is worth a thousand words, a moving picture adds to that figure exponentially. As a dynamic and immediate marketing tool, video is the next best thing to greeting potential customers face-to-face. Plus, not only can videos help deliver traffic from search engines like Google, but video thumbnails tend to catch the eye in search results better than linked text.

But if a slick, professionally produced clip isn’t within your budget, that’s ok – today’s affordable web and phone cams make it inexpensive to create do-it-yourself videos that look and sound clean enough to get your message across in a professional way.

Online video powerhouse YouTube is the world’s second-largest search engine, reaching 4 billion views per day in January. And as a free service, you don’t need budget to upload videos. That means, all you need to start connecting with your audience is a camera, a story and a plan.

Don’t know where to start? Here are five tips for messaging and presentation of your video:

Tip 1 –

Make it unique: Because the chances are there are already countless videos out there related to your field, it’s important to make your message as unique as possible. Offer hard-to-find information that satisfies a real customer need. Don’t discuss what you want to. Focus on what they want to learn about.

Tip 2 –

Make it friendly: Keep your tone light and conversational. Try to make a personal connection. Present a real-life situation, and address it with a demo of your product. Entertain if you can.

Tip 3 –

Make it quick: Bear in mind the attention span of the viewer. Deliver the message as succinctly as possible – 5 minutes or less for best results. For in-depth or supplemental info, link to a blog post. (You have a blog, right? No? No worries – you can easily start one with the free WordPress blog capability we include in our discounted hosting packages.)

Tip 4 –

Make a deal: Share a video coupon, a special code for a discount or deal for those who watch the video to its end.

Tip 5 –

Make it viral: Upload it to YouTube; post it on Twitter and Facebook. Do whatever you can to make it spread. Craft your message with this in mind: Be funny, be poignant, be memorable.